The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Sanding tools have been provided for various uses. For instance, drywall sanding tools have been provided for sanding joints between panels of drywall after the joints have been filled and taped. Typically, sanding tools include a handle assembly and a head assembly coupled to the handle. The head assembly includes a sanding member, such as a rotary sanding pad.
Conventional sanding tools suffer from certain disadvantages. For instance, during operation, the user typically holds the handle assembly and moves the head assembly over a relatively large sanding surface. Positioning the head assembly relative to the sanding surface can be awkward and cumbersome.
More specifically, in some conventional sanding tools, the head assembly is fixedly coupled to the handle assembly. As such, it can be difficult to maintain the head assembly level over the sanding surface as the head assembly is moved over the entire sanding surface. Thus, the user can inadvertently gouge the sanding surface during operation.
In partial response to this problem, sanding tools have been developed with a head assembly that is pivotally coupled to the handle assembly. In these sanding tools, the head assembly pivots about a single, fixed axis. For instance, the head assembly is coupled to the handle assembly via a pin to thereby allow the head assembly to pivot about the axis of the pin. As the operator uses the handle assembly to move the head assembly along the sanding surface, and the relative angle between the handle assembly and the sanding surface changes, the head assembly pivots relative to the handle assembly to thereby automatically adjust position. As such, the head assembly is more likely to remain level relative to the sanding surface, the operator is less likely to gouge the sanding surface, and the sanding tool is less awkward and cumbersome to operate.
However, the degree of pivoting movement of the head assembly is fairly limited because it pivots only along one fixed axis. Thus, the user can still inadvertently gouge the sanding surface in some situations.
Moreover, certain conventional sanding tools can be awkward to hold and operate because the center of gravity of the tool is located at a substantial distance from the actual body of the tool. This causes the tool to be imbalanced, which detrimentally affects the maneuverability of the tool.
Still further, many conventional sanding tools include a deck that partially encloses the sanding pad and a brush ring that is coupled to the deck so as to encompass the sanding pad. During operation, the user applies a force to the head assembly such that the bristles of the brush ring bend to allow the sanding pad to contact the sanding surface. However, the bristles may be so stiff that a significant amount of force is necessary to bend the bristles and allow the sanding pad to contact the sanding surface. As a result, operation of the sanding tool is more cumbersome. Furthermore, the bristles of the brush ring may bend unevenly, thereby causing the sanding pad to contact the sanding surface unevenly, and gouging of the surface is more likely.
In addition, many conventional sanding tools include a handle assembly of a fixed length. The handle assembly may not be suitable for all applications. For instance, if the sanding surface is located above the user (e.g., near a ceiling), a longer handle is desirable to allow the head assembly to reach the sanding surface. If the sanding surface is located within a small surrounding area (e.g., a closet), a shorter handle is desirable such that the handle assembly is less likely to interfere with the surrounding walls. However, because the handle assembly has a fixed length, usefulness of the sanding tool can be limited.